BERLIN (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, media reported that two criminals were executed in Japan despite international criticism.
"The federal government is against the death penalty… I would like to ask the Japanese government to reconsider this practice and to stop further use of death penalty. In Japan there is an open discussion in the civil society regarding the matter of the abolition of the death penalty. I welcome this discussion, it is an important starting point for dialogue," Kofler said as quoted in the newsletter of the German Foreign Ministry.
Kofler stressed that Germany and Japan worked closely and trustingly on many issues.
